This week, R-CALF USA submitted formal recommendations to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy urging repeal of federal regulations and policies adversely affecting American food safety, livestock, independent cattle producers, consumers, and national security.
In a letter to SBA Assistant Chief Counsel Shanerika M. Flemings, R-CALF USA identified nine U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration rules and guidance documents that impose significant costs on family ranches while allowing imported beef and livestock to operate under weaker standards.
Among the recommendations, R-CALF USA called for repeal of USDA’s electronic identification eartag mandate, import rules allowing fresh beef from countries not free of foot-and-mouth disease, and confidentiality guidelines that undermine price transparency in highly concentrated cattle markets. The organization also urged reforms to the beef checkoff order, veterinary drug directives and import policies that benefit foreign competitors.
R-CALF USA urged the SBA to elevate these concerns as part of its mission to protect small businesses from unnecessary regulatory harm.
